Angels trade for Zach Greinke

The Rangers were interested in the Brewers top starting pitcher Greinke but were not willing to part with their top position or pitching prospect to make the deal work.  The Angels were...

The Angels sent shortstop Jean Segura, right handed pitchers Johnny Hellweg and Ariel Pena to finalize the deal for Greinke.

Segura was the Angels top position player prospect while Hellweg was regarded as their top pitching prospect. It needs to be noted that Segura was second on the position player list until Mike Trout joined the big leagues, the same with Hellweg as he sat behind Garrett Richards who is a regular with the big club.

Neither are considered "elite" status prospects like Jurickson Profar of the Rangers so I say good job to Jon Daniels not killing the farm system for a good, not great, rental player.

A lot of Ranger fans are down on the team right now, Josh Hamilton is taking awful at bats, Mike Young's struggling bat but is starting to hit the ball again. The pitching staff which was starting to recover from injury is now hurting with Colby Lewis out for the rest of the season, Yu Darvish struggling in back to back starts and wondering if Derek Holland will show us the elite pitcher we saw in the second half of 2011.

These are big questions for sure but you do not make a move just to simply say you made a move. That leads to overpaying for average play, Jerry Jones refuses to learn this lesson but the Rangers brass looks like they have and willing to stay up.

If the backup plan is move Alexi Ogando to the rotation, Feliz to the 7th inning power relief pitcher and be prepared to head into the playoff stretch with Darvish, Harrison, Holland, Oswalt and Ogando is a pretty solid rotation. Short on command consistency especially Holland and Ogando but the tools are there.  I was going to say playoff experience but Harrison has started multiple world series games, Holland delivered a gem performance in the 2011 series while Oswalt has done it in the big game too. Yu Darvish is a rookie but the first thing that impressed me about Darvish, his mental toughness and absolutely crucial for a pitcher in the postseason and he has that skill to turn it to a higher level.

Excited to see what the Rangers do as the trade deadline clock continues to down...

Top 5 Concerns for Cowboys heading into camp

Top 5 concerns as Cowboys enter training camp

- Rebuilt offensive line, Phil Costa is the only returning starter at the same position from 2011 and he is my # 1 concern on the line.
        - Free Agent Jason Brown is still available who would be upgrade over Costa but Jerry Jones appears to not be willing to make a move.   I do not understand why he's willing to let a definite upgrade pass him by, is Jerry the GM not fully aware of players available to make upgrades?  Is he hell bent on staying with Costa despite the problems last year?


- Rebuilt secondary
        - Gerald Sensabaugh is the lone returner to that unit while free agent additions, Brandon Carr and Brodney Pool project to start along with 1st round pick Morris Claiborne. However, Carr will be learning a new position at left cornerback having played his entire career on the right side. Pool is an average safety who's lack of range in coverage will severely limit him. Factor in a rookie who will have to adjust to covering the Super Bowl champs in week 1.

- New Punter
        - Matt McBriar signed a one-year deal with the Eagles leaving the Cowboys with a new punter since 2003. Special teams flies under the radar until they make a mistake often resulting in a game-changing play. Field position can be a best friend to a struggling defense causing the opponent to go further for points, Dallas' D isn't by any stretch solid enough to give an edge to their opponent.  2nd year punter Chris Jones will have the inside track at the starting job.
       
- Cornerback
        - Common though is Dallas is stacked at corner with Carr, Claiborne, Jenkins and Scandrick. Since when did the names Jenkins and Scandrick give such faith and confidence to Cowboy fans outside of the day they were drafted?  These 2 struggled along with the entire secondary last season and Jenkins begins camp on the Physically Unable to Perform list. Scandrick has consistently failed to make plays on the ball despite being in excellent position to defend passes.  I think we should let these guys prove it on the field that one: learn a new position technique (Carr), they make the leap to the NFL (Claiborne), stay healthy (Jenkins) and make plays when in position (Scandrick). If they do that, I'll agree Dallas has excellent cornerback depth but not until then.

- Wide Receiver Overall
        - The entire receiver depth chart is terrifying. Dallas is one injury away from a Andre Holmes or another undrafted rookie starting at receiver for this team. That statement can be made for several NFL teams but not all those teams had both their projected starting receivers miss multiple games over the past two seasons.. Austin missed 6 with Dez 5.
        - That makes the backup receivers even more important, only SMU's Cole Beasley and Andre Holmes have earned the most praise through the off-season.

Rangers Injury Updates and Trade Rumor Updates

Both Alexi Ogando and Koji Uehara will join the Rangers on Tuesday.  Likely Martin Perez and Michael Kirkman will be sent down to the minors in their place.

The rangers are rumored to have the most interest in Cole Hamels, the Phillies stud left-handed starting pitcher. But how much would it take to acquire him? I think Neftali Feliz and Martin Perez would be a solid offer as well as a low level minor leaguer.

A couple of things about acquiring Hamels, he moves instantly to the top of the rotation which is still without Colby Lewis. Trading away Feliz still gives you 6 starting pitchers, do the Rangers really go with a 6-man rotation? I think it is a reasonable idea as keeping first year starter Yu Darvish fresh down the stretch as well as the rest of the staff which has been hit hard by injuries.

Problem with it, Hamels is a free agent and will command at least 20 million a year for 5 years to resign.  Second, Josh Hamilton is still a free agent as well and that would be two major free agents from your team.

Next, the Rangers team has been struggling but still has managed to win 9 of their last 10 series! They have gotten excellent pitching and timely hitting, anyone who has watched this team for the last month knows they haven't been hitting the ball consistently especially Josh Hamilton.

How does trading for Cole hamels address the lack of offense?  It doesn't but as we all know, you don't necessarily need a excellent offense but you damn sure better have excellent starting pitching to win a world series!

By that thinking, I am all for trading for Hamels with the understanding two prospects are not on the offered list: Jurickson Profar and Mike Olt.

What the Dallas front 7 should look like

Training camp 2012 is just weeks away and now the discussions can heat up about how this rebuilt defense is going to shape up.

Here is what we expect to see depth chart wise in week 1.

RDE: Jason Hatcher
NT: Jay Ratliff
LDE: Marcus Spears

ROLB: DeMarcus Ware
MILB: Dan Connor
MOLB: Sean Lee
LOLB:Anthony Spencer

RCB: Morris Claiborne
FS: Brodney Pool
SS: Gerald Sensabaugh
LCB: Brandon Carr

The problem areas are Spears, Spencer and Pool, they are average to below average players. I suggest that by the end of the season, each of those players should be replaced by their backups.

Sean Lissemore for Spears.  He was rated as one of the most effective defensive players in 2011 especially vs the run, his quickness helped him generate pressure on the QB. Spears has fallen into a 2-down run stuffer who does not finish plays when in position to make the play missing far too many tackles.

Kyle Wilbur for Spencer. We've heard it before, Spencer needs to become a more consistent rusher to take pressure off of Ware. He's been a starter since 2009, 3 seasons to make his mark.  He is a solid run defender and a average pass rusher. He is not a bad player but he is not part of the solution to get Dallas' defense to the top of the league confirmed by the news that the Cowboys will not sign Spencer to a long-term deal this year.  Wilbur should bring a situational pass rush opposite Ware fans have been screaming for initially and aslong as he is adequate vs the run, should take over that job.

Barry Church or Matt Johnson for Brodney Pool or even Sensabaugh too at safety. Dallas enters 2012 with average play again projected from the safety spot however I feel this year could be different. They have options unlike in previous years although I wrote prior to last season that Barry Church would be starting over Sensabaugh by seasons end. Then Jerry Jones decided to overpay and extend Sensabaugh for six years and $25 million dollars.  I feel Pool will quickly showcase his poor range in coverage and just not make enough plays to warrant keeping Church, Johnson on the bench. I would prefer Johnson over Church for the free safety spot although the safety position is almost interchangable these days. Church is a more physical tackler especially in run support and not known to be a playmaker in coverage while Johnson was known to be one during his time at Eastern Washington.  People talk about training camp battles, I'm focusing on this one because Pool seems destined to lose playing time quickly.

An interesting side note is middle inside linebacker, Dan Connor vs Bruce Carter. I feel that Rob Ryan is going to trust the job to Connor at first but the explosiveness capabilities of Carter at blitzing and coverage will give him the knod long-term. Carter impressed the coaches in mini-camp and seemed to show the Cowboys the skills that made him a 2nd round pick in 2011. He needs to stay healthy and continue that progress to earn more playing time. I feel that initially Dallas will start Connor on 1st and 2nd down while Carter will take the nickel linebacker role.

I am interested to see how Rob Ryan and Co. respond to having Tyrone Crawford & Josh Brent as depth on the line. Ratliff wore down as the season went along and Kenyon Coleman along with Spears are merely average players not providing the pass rush the line needs to do to help Ware.

Top 5 Concerns heading into camp

I disagree with almost all articles or thoughts from Goose Gosselin and Jon Machota.  Today I want to dive into the real top 5 concerns along with alternatives heading into Cowboys training camp.

For reference, Machota thinks the top 5 concerns, without any alternatives, are:

1) Interior offensive line
2) Wide Receiver Depth
3) Dominant second pass rusher to assist DeMarcus Ware
4) DeMarco Murray's health
5) Jason Garrett play-calling in critical moments

I almost laughed when I read this, there is no mention as to the rebuilt secondary.  The same secondary will feature most likely 3 new starters with supposedly Sensabaugh the guy who's locked down his job? Brodney Pool is a below average safety who lacks range in coverage and the rookie safety Matt Johnson who couldn't practice as much as they hoped in the offseason camps.  Then you factor in Brandon Carr will be playing left cornerback after spending his career in Kansas City as a right cornerback changing all the technique Carr perfected to earn the $50 million dollar contract. Oh yea, a rookie corner in Morris Claiborne who hasn't practiced once and also could not be signed in time for the start of training camp. Now Mike Jenkins is referred as the insurance policy, the same who struggled with injuries from day 1 to the end of the season. Then there is Orlando Scandrick as the nickel corner but did anyone feel confident about Scandrick being part of the solution to the secondary after his performance in 2011?

The secondary could become a strength but we don't know that, there are so many questions regarding it, it has to be up there just as high as the interior offensive line.

I keep hearing this crap about the wide receiver depth, fact here is if Dez Bryant & Miles Austin start at least 14 games in 2012, the depth won't matter.  The concern is that Austin most likely won't make it through the season healthy and Bryant won't make it healthy or be consistently counted on to be where he's supposed to be on the field. The depth will work itself out and the Cowboys will not sign a veteran free agent unless none of the kids show any type of ability to make plays. Whoever gets the job will also HAVE to play special teams which rules out #85, his name will never be mentioned on this blog, as he does not play special teams. I honestly feel Andre Holmes, Danny Coale and Cole Beasley make the team as the team carries 5 receivers on the roster.

 I would instead be more concerned about the entire offensive line, not just the interior. You have Tyron Smith playing a brand new position on the left side, he played right tackle at USC, to protect Romo's blindside that Free failed to do. Then the guards have been completely retooled with Nate Livings and Mackenzy Bernadeau as the projected starters, neither were considered plus starters with their previous teams. That brings us to Phil Costa, perhaps the worst offensive lineman of the 2011, is back at center but with competition from Bill Nagy and possibly Kevin Kowalski. There is also hope that rookie Ron Leary could also provide depth or even start at one of the guard spots but is that because Leary is so good or the Cowboys line in such poor shape?

Next he says a dominant second pass rusher is 3rd biggest concern on the team, I completely disagree. I feel generating a consistent pass rush from multiple positions would serve the defense better but greatly depends on young players progressing and coaches giving them a chance to play.

Fact is Anthony Spencer is not and will not be a dominating pass rusher in Dallas so forget about that. The Cowboys brass refuse to move their 2nd best pass rusher Jay Ratliff to end so forget about that. So what can they do?  Jason Hatcher should be a full-time starter at right defensive end in 2012 which should help the pass rush from one end spot. Second, Josh Brent & Sean Lissemore will be crucial in keeping Ratliff fresh down the season and help the D get stops in the fourth quarter. Third, Lissemore and rookie Tyrone Crawford should be given every opportunity to take the starting job away from Marcus Spears at left defensive end. This upgrades the defensive line which makes the outside linebackers in a 3-4 more effective since the offensive line has other players to worry about which was not the case in 2011, Kenyon Coleman and Marcus Spears were just average and worse in rushing the passer.

Next, Jason Garrett needs to follow through with his claims of competition and must earn playing time. Kyle Wilbur should be given every opportunity to take Spencer's job and especially be given a role as a situational pass rusher from Spencer's spot, he hasn't rushed the passer consistently over his career and Wilbur was drafted to be Spencer's replacement.  Finally, Bruce Carter is the wildcard, he is athletic enough to be the best blitzer Dallas has ever had in their 3-4 defense. Remember, the purpose of the 3-4 defense is to make it difficult for the offensive line to determine where the pass rush is coming from, a solid pass rushing team effort can help to accomplish this since a second dominant pass rusher is not possible in 2012 with Spencer pegged as the starter opposite Ware.

The health of DeMarco Murray is a small concern, he's already stated publicaly the ankle is doing great and ready to go for training camp. Corner's Mike Jenkins and Claiborne haven't practiced once due to their health, I put them far higher on the concern list than Murray. The depth you have at runningback is far more important than who you have penciled in as the starter, you will need all 3 runningbacks to play a significant number of snaps during the regular season.

Finally, he puts up Garrett's play-calling as the fifth highest concern?  I want Garrett to improve in that area sure, don't call timeouts right before your own team is going to kick a field goal sure. But I want more him to improve his game-preparation especially when Dallas goes on the road versus division opponents, they walk into Philly and Washington in a fragile timid frame of mind. You can really see this in the play selection especially on the road in the division, that must change!  However there is another area of concern far higher than Garrett's improvement in game-management.

How is it a perenial pro-bowler is not resigned to the team, is still available as training camp is about to open, a unproven kid is expected to pick up the slack and no one seems to notice?  The Cowboys go into training camp with Delbert Alvarado and Chris Jones as the teams only punters, longtime starter Matt McBriar is still a free agent reportedly close to a full recovery from the drop leg injury. His ability to consistently drop the ball inside the 20, incredible hang-time eliminating risk for punt returns were taken for granted but could be a different story now. Another major concern as well.

Eagles vs Redskins (Week 6)

The Eagles turned things around in the first half of their first division match up but that shouldn't be surprising.  The Redskins were still the redskins, on the path to another subpar season with Rex Grossman at the controls.  The Eagles had their best game stuffing the run easily of the season, thanks mostly to the play of their defensive tackles holding at the point of attack.

Grossman was often throwing off his back foot or with terrible footwork leading to poorly accurate balls getting intercepted 4 times, 3 by the safety Coleman.

The Eagles offense rolled in the first half to a 20-3 lead but again struggle to put points on the board in the 2nd half. Vick left the game in the 3rd quarter but did return only after Vince Young had a sack and interception on consecutive plays.

The skins were not able to consistently able to run the ball in this game, benched Grossman in favor of John Beck who managed to cut the lead to 7 late in the fourth quarter on a scramble for a TD. However LeSean McCoy who is easily the Eagles most impressive offensive player, his ability to stop and change directions is rare.

The Eagles win 20-13 heading into the bye week.

To sum up what I've seen, Vick holds the ball far too long, struggles identifying pressure in his pre-snap reads. Defensively, their tackles especially do not hold the point well selling out their linebackers on running plays, then add in the extremely wide alignments with their ends doesn't help matters.

Outside of one game which is the exception to the rule, they haven't been able to put points on the scoreboard in the fourth quarter.

Next up is their first match up with the Dallas Cowboys...